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During 2012 there was a decrease of about 55% in the number of terrorism-related fatalities: 10 deaths, compared with 22 in 2011. Six Israeli civilians and four members of the security forces were the victims, according to figures published by the General Security Services.

That decrease was due largely to increased effectiveness of the anti-terror efforts of the Israel Security Agency (Shabak).

Over the past year, the Shabak arrested about 2,300 suspected terrorists. Interrogations of detainees led to 2170 charges, and approximately 100 significant attacks scheduled for last year were thwarted. Approximately one-third of the thwarted attacks were kidnappings of Israeli civilians and soldiers.

As for combating terror funding - in 2012 Israel seized approximately $3 million (USD) in funds earmarked for terror groups. Israel also seized 3,000 tons of iron that terror groups intended to use to make rockets.

Most of the Israeli fatalities in 2012 were the result of Gaza rocket fire and terrorist infiltrations from the Sinai Peninsula. There were no terror-related fatalities in Judea and Samaria (the so-called "West Bank") in 2012.

Up until the most recent Gaza war in November 2012, Israel had only suffered 36 terror-related injuries in the previous 10 months. By the end of the Gaza rocket barrage, 269 Israelis had been wounded.

Amazingly, though there were so few injuries and zero terror-related deaths in Judea and Samaria, Israeli officials reported a significant increase in terrorist attacks in those territories over the past year.

In 2011, there were 318 attacks in Judea, but in 2012 that number increased to 535. In Jerusalem, there were 209 attacks in 2011, increasing to 275 the following year. The bulk of those attacks were carried out with stones and firebombs (Molotov cocktails).

The numbers also showed a decrease of 40 percent in the number of attacks by Jewish extremists on Palestinian Arabs.

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